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Mike Marteny's DraftKings daily fantasy college football lineup picks for Friday 9/12/25 in Week 3. His CFB DFS lineup picks and DFS sleepers will help you win.
I don't know about you, but I enjoy having more college football games on Friday nights. Tonight, DraftKings gives us all five games being played on the slate. We'll have some first (and last) timers on here with Colgate and Indiana State. There could be some hidden value there.
Those are the first two games on the slate. If riverboat gambler isn't your style, we have a nice one in Houston with Colorado visiting for the first time since 1971. We have a big Wildcat War in the desert between Arizona and Kansas State. The late-night hammer is New Mexico facing a UCLA offense that came around in the second half last week. I like this slate quite a bit!
In this article, I will provide you with my daily fantasy college football lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/12/25, starting at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. I’ll provide multiple player suggestions for quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers, aiming to highlight one option at each end of the salary scale, from the highest to the lowest. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Quarterbacks
Nico Iamaleava, UCLA ($7.8K)
You are going to see Iamaleava hate everywhere, not just from Tennessee fans. He has struggled in the early going, but his second half (aside from the game-losing interception) was solid. He was good enough to consider using him against New Mexico. Iamaleava put up 24.1 DK points against UNLV. He should be able to do the same against New Mexico, which is a solid return at this price.
Noah Fifita, Arizona ($7.1K)
I feel that Arizona is going to try to run the ball more in this one, but that doesn't mean Fifita is a bad play. He's not much of a runner, but the progression we have seen with his receivers is encouraging.
Noah Fifita WENT OFF in Arizona's week 2 matchup 🔥
- 17-22 (77.3%)
- 373 passing yards
- 5 TD
- 0 INTOne of the most underrated QBs in the nation. pic.twitter.com/JyXqFt1IDu
— PHNX Wildcats (@PHNX_Wildcats) September 9, 2025
The K-State defense is broken. The price feels low on Fifita. Arizona hasn't played against a good defense yet, but the offense showed improvement between Week 1 and Week 2. It should open up the Arizona offense a little more against Kansas State.
Conner Weigman, Houston ($6.4K)
Haynes King demolished Colorado in Week 1 with this dual-threat ability. Weigman -- an A&M castaway just like King -- is in the same mold. He's not as elusive as King, but I still think he gives the Colorado defense some problems. Weigman hasn't turned the ball over yet this season, either, so not losing points is a plus.
Also consider: Avery Johnson, Kansas State ($8.1K); Steve Angeli, Syracuse ($7.4K); Zach Osborne, Colgate ($4.9K)
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DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Running Backs
Dean Connors, Houston ($5.7K)
Colorado's defense has played well against the run (from running backs, anyway), so this is more of a volume play. Conners will get 15-18 touches, with a couple of them likely coming as a reception. I'm not one to turn down free points. I'm not expecting a huge game out of Connors, but I'm concerned about the workload of the backs priced above him.
Will Nixon, Syracuse ($4.6K)
The FIRST-EVER pass attempt by QB Steve Angeli goes for a 21-yard play & a 1st down after he connected short w/ RB Will Nixon…
Video by Dan Tortora Broadcast Media, LLC#Syracuse #collegefootball #sports #football #Cuse #OrangeNation pic.twitter.com/dlsfuBe9uC
— DT Sports Media (@CallDT) August 30, 2025
The Orange have already ruled out Yasin Willis, to the surprise of no one. Nixon has played well behind Willis and is set to get a lot of work in the first half of this one. DK didn't adjust the price, so Nixon is going to be rostered around 80%. We need this value. Get creative elsewhere.
DeKalon Taylor, Colorado ($3.4K)
Dallan Hayden will be active for this game, so that throws a wrench into Colorado's already crowded backfield. Taylor may be the best receiver of all four backs who may see time (seven receptions in two games), so I view him as the only Colorado back that I'll take a chance on.
Also consider: Scottre Humphrey, New Mexico ($6.4K); Kaelon Black, Indiana ($5.4K); Quincy Craig, Arizona ($3.5K; if Reescano out)
DraftKings CFB DFS Picks - Wide Receivers
Elijah Sarratt, Indiana ($7.6K)
Elijah Sarratt 💪#RatedProspect
— The Draft Network (@TheDraftNetwork) September 6, 2025
Despite only playing one drive in the second half, Sarratt still got there against Kennesaw State. He had nine receptions for 97 yards and three scores. He may be a little touchdown-dependent against an inferior team, but there will be a lot of touchdowns to go around.
Jayce Brown, Kansas State ($6.6K)
Brown has at least five targets in every game so far. He is by far Kansas State's leading receiver with 19 receptions so far. They have even used him out of the backfield a couple of times. Brown is the only bright spot on the Kansas State offense right now. He's the only one that I'm really comfortable using for DFS purposes.
Dorian Thomas, New Mexico ($5.7K)
The Lobos are going to have trouble running the ball in the UCLA defense. They had the same problem against Michigan in the opener. Thomas caught 10 passes for 71 yards in that game. He is the clear alpha on the New Mexico offense and will be heavily used if the Lobos have any chance of pulling the upset.
Javin Whatley, Arizona ($5K)
Whatley exploded last week with 168 yards on just five receptions. He's a bit of an all-or-nothing type, but Arizona can take the top off of this defense. Whatley only needs to hit one of those bombs (he had an 85-yarder last week) to hit value for this price.
Also consider: Kwazi Gilmer, UCLA ($7K); Tanner Koziol, Houston ($6.4K); Justus Ross-Simmons, Syracuse ($5.9K); Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate ($5.1K); Sincere Brown, Colorado ($4.1K)
DraftKings CFB DFS Stacks
UCLA vs. New Mexico
I stand by the statement that UCLA needs a big win. The comeback on UNLV after trailing 23-0 showed that this team has some life on offense. They're still going to make mistakes, but maybe not against this defense.
I feel like if you run Iamaleava, Gilmer needs to be played with him. I don't like the price on Mikey Matthews, especially since Jack Pedersen has been nearly as productive for $1.3K less. Anthony Woods is the UCLA back you want. Jaivian Thomas was expected to be the leader of the backfield, but that hasn't come to fruition. Don't waste cap space. Go with Woods instead.
Arizona vs. Kansas State
This makes a ton of sense, especially since Arizona is reasonably priced. You can run Fifita and Whatley for just $12.1K. The status of Kedrick Reescano makes this tough. If he's out, I would run both Ismail Mahdi and Quincy Craig. If he's in, Craig is the way to go for receiving upside.
Luke Wysong and Kris Hutson are both worth using with Whatley. Huston made his 2025 debut last week and had a solid game. He eventually may take some work from Whatley, but that shouldn't happen this week.
Also consider: Houston, Syracuse (GPP only)
More College Football Analysis
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